This invention relates to motor vehicles, and more particularly to passenger seating in trucks and vans.
A variety of medium sized "parcel vans", also known as "R.V. cutaway" or "cutaway vans", are now available for use by delivery services and for the transport of household items. A typical example of such vans is built on a van chassis and includes a cab section and a cargo section. The cab section includes the engine, operator controls, and forward-facing seating for a driver and usually only one passenger. The cargo section is a generally box-like structure immediately behind the cab. The cargo section has a roof height substantially greater than that of the cab section. An additional cargo portion typically extends forward over the cab roof from the main cargo section. A doorway between the cab and cargo sections on some parcel vans permits access between these sections from within the van.
While such vans have achieved great popularity with users, they suffer from insufficient passenger seating in certain applications. For example, when used by a family to transport their own household goods from one location to another (i.e. in a "do-it-yourself" moving application), it is frequently desireable for more than two persons to accompany the goods. For long distance moves, alternate transportation for the additional persons may be expensive or unavailable. Even for relatively short moves, it may be extremely inconvenient to separately transport additional persons from one location to another.
Accordingly, in modern parcel vans, the need exists for safe and comfortable passenger seating in addition to that currently provided. While in some vehicles, an additional seat might be placed in the cab between the two existing seats, the additional seat would unacceptably block access to the doorway between the cab and the cargo area. In addition, due to the configuration of existing cabs, leg room for such an additional seat would be insufficient to provide an adequate level of passenger comfort. An alternative would be to merely install ordinary fixed seats in the cargo section, but this alternative would lack an appropriate separation between the passengers and the cargo, and would fail to provide adequate circulation of air either through the factory-installed windows or the air conditioner. Other alternatives could include temporary makeshift "seats" such as milk crates or furniture pads in the cargo and/or cab area. These alternatives are uncomfortable, not aesthetically pleasing, and could be unsafe. For example, such temporary makeshift "seats" lack appropriate safety restraints and may otherwise fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standards.
In practice, parcel vans are typically constructed by a customizing manufacturer by adding an appropriate custom-designed cargo section to a truck or van chassis obtained from an original vehicle manufacturer. Because the vehicle manufacturer supplies the cab section, including seating that complies with applicable federal safety standards, it is preferable that only minimal changes be made to that section. In order to achieve user and fleet operator acceptance, the additional seating must be safe and comfortable, and must not result in a substantial reduction of cargo capacity.